Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Your name is Henry.

Everyone calls you Hero, on account of those big sandwiches from your childhood home's local pizza place that you love so much. Occasionally you think about being nicknamed after a sandwich and why no-one really brings up the fact that you're nicknamed after a sandwich, or teases you for it, but you never really worry about it too much.

You're 19 years old and you're studying to be a chef in a culinary school in a big city. It's tough work, but it's worth it, because you know that in the end you'll be able to get out there and put smiles on people's faces with the food you make.

You grew up in a sleepy little town called Faraway. Faraway was situated somewhere in-between civilisation and the middle of nowhere, and things moved pretty slowly there, but it was home, and you liked it. You have a little brother named Kel, who's 16. He's very nearly taller than you, but not quite. He'll get there. Kel is a goofy kid brother with smiles for days and nearly as much energy; he's obsessed with basketball and really into sports in general. You also have a baby sister called Sally - she's still not even one year old. She's very cute and very sweet, and quite energetic for her age, too - sometimes, when your family is out having a barbecue at the park, she's apparently had a tendency to attempt to crawl away and explore. She never really gets anywhere, though, because your mother is very attentive. Occasionally slightly too attentive.

You have a group of friends in Faraway who are mostly about the same age as Kel. There's a lot of emotional maturity that you gain in the years between 16 and 19, so a lot of people might think that it must be a little weird hanging out with younger people than you like that, but you're all close, and they're all good, kind, reasonable people. You've known them all for quite a while, too, so it just feels natural. You're all at home in each other's company. It's a good way to be.

There's Sunny. He's a really shy kid, doesn't speak much, but he has a great deal of emotional maturity to him if you scratch the surface. He makes a really good listener for the others - he always seems like his interest in what people have to say to him is genuine. He does have a tendency to space out on occasion, but you let him daydream, because maybe it helps him with the ideas for his sketches - he keeps a sketchbook! All quite surreal drawings, to be honest, but very impressive. He must have quite the imagination. He also plays the violin sometimes, not as much as he used to, but he's good! And he likes steak.

There's Aubrey. 50% girly-girl, 50% feisty, and sometimes it's a crapshoot which one you might be talking to. Sometimes she manages to be both, like how her hair is pink, but like... aggressively pink. She loves rabbits, and has one of her own named Bun-Bun, a name which you think is adorable. She's a little bit of a rebel, but she's never done anything too out-of-order, not with you there to keep her somewhat in line. It's important for you to be a good role model for the little ones, hehe. Anyway, you think Aubrey has a crush on Sunny. You think Sunny has a crush back as well, given the way he looks at Basil's photos of her. They both seem to have been interested in each other for a number of years, but neither of them have ever worked up the courage to confess. But you don't get involved; that's their business. You do think they'd make a cute couple, though. You're content to watch them dance around the idea, not knowing of the other's interest, because that's also cute, to be honest.

Speaking of Basil, he's a sweet, kind, slightly nervous little blonde boy who's really into flowers, taking photographs, and taking photographs of flowers. He's good with his hands - he keeps so many little potted plants and takes care of all of them with the green thumb of a seasoned gardener three times his age. He can even make flower crowns! And he does it with ease, too; you tried it once, but you couldn't get the hang of it and gave up in frustration. Basil wasn't mad, though - he was just glad you gave it a go. That's the kind of boy he is. He's short - shorter than Sunny, which you wouldn't believe possible for most 16 year-old boys if you hadn't seen it yourself. He and Sunny are best buds: you think Basil tends to worry a lot, and he likes to talk with Sunny about it a little more often than everyone else does. You wonder what Basil would be like without Sunny, really, considering just how big a benefit their friendship is to him. And to Sunny, for that matter. Despite his worries, Basil never fails to be positive when talking to any of you. Basil compares each of you to a certain kind of flower, and he says he himself wants to be like a sunflower, always looking on the bright side of things. You think that if he keeps going the way he's going, he'll make a fine sunflower. He already is.

And then there's Mari. Mari is Sunny's older sister, two months younger than you to the day. She's also your girlfriend, and you love her.

Oh, God, you love her.

Mari is the sun in your sky and the moon amongst your stars. She is the heat that keeps you warm and the gentle rainfall that lulls you to sleep. She is a book you could never put down. She is the correct path on a forked road. She is a quiet breeze on a warm summer's eve, and the campfire around which your emotions sing their song on that cool summer night. She is all this and so much more; she is all that which you don't have the words and metaphors to describe, and she is everything for which the words have not yet been invented. She is the concepts for which you will have to invent the words just to tell her how much she means. She is... she... she's Mari. And Mari is wonderful.

And the best part, that you still sometimes feel like pinching yourself to believe, is that she feels those same feelings about you in return.

You're a very lucky man, Hero.

Chapter Text

You wake up gently to the sunlight streaming through your window. You check the clock and it reads 9am. It's summer break, so you're at home with your parents and Sally, but the main thing right now is that Mari's back from college for the summer, too, so you get to wake up in your favourite place - in her arms. This is the first night after you both got back, and Mari successfully managed to wrangle her parents into taking Kel and the rest of the gang to her place right next door for a sleepover, so they could watch the kids (well, 16 year-olds, but still) while you and Mari got some much-needed and much-deserved time to yourselves. You love those kids, but God, they can get up to mischief. Especially Kel and Aubrey. Oh, God... you hope they've managed not to kill each other while you've been separate from them. Hopefully Sunny, or Basil, or even Sunny's parents would step in to mediate if things got too out-of-hand. At least he could get Mari's help cleaning up whatever's left once you both got up and went over there.

You focus back on Mari. She's beautiful when she's sleeping. Which is a little bit of a strange thought to have, but you can't help finding her beautiful at all times. Just don't get weird about it, Hero. You pull her a little closer and hug her a little tighter. You could stay like this forever - and maybe you would have, had Mari not started to stir slightly and made a low, quiet grunting noise as she shifted. You've woken her up. Good going, man.

That's OK in the end, though, because at least now you get to talk to Mari. She looks up at you, eyes still half-shut, and speaks. Her voice is still a little croaky, but there's a gentleness to it. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Mari." You sit up a little, keeping your arm around her back. "Sleep well?"

"I slept great. Even if the bed's a little small for two..."

"Ah, yeah, I was a little worried about that. Sorry."

"I didn't say I was complaining. Just meant you had to hold me tighter."

Your breath catches slightly in your throat. Mari turns to face you directly, the evidence of smug self-satisfaction rippling slowly across her face from the centre out. She grabs the tip of your nose between her forefinger and thumb and wiggles it slightly. She leans in closer and whispers.

"Score one Mari."

She pulls back, faces away and giggles. It's a lovely sight, cute as can be. It's good it only costs you your love, as well as some dignity. Good thing the kids aren't here.

You settle back and giggle some as well, noting the feeling of a blooming blush prickling across your cheeks.

"Hehehe. Alright, alright. How 'bout some breakfast?"

Mari stretches and yawns. "I would love some breakfast."

"Eeeexcellent. Pancakes?"

"Yes, pancakes! A good ol' hot breakfast to start the day. Better than cereal at college, for sure. Even the cafeteria pancakes just... aren't all that great, frankly."

A sudden look of realisation sparks in Mari's eyes and knocks her eyebrows upwards.

"Aww, but what about the kids? They won't wanna miss out on a Hero breakfast."

"Somehow I reckon they're still asleep. I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed up late, and honestly Kel could still sleep in if he went straight to bed after dinner."

"Hehehe! That boy... well how 'bout we wake them up to pancakes?" Mari starts getting out of bed, and you sit up fully.

"Uhh, if it's OK, I was hoping... uhh, I was hoping we could just have breakfast together? It'd be nice to get in a little me-and-you time before we go and see them, if that's OK. A little quiet."

Mari stops getting out of bed and turns back around, leaning down on one knee on the bed. "Awwww, Herooooo... OK, then, sweetie. No problem. A little respite before babysitting might be a good way to ease into the day, anyway. Hehehehehee!"
You smile gently. "Thanks, honey."

"Oh, you know you don't have to thank me." Mari leans forward on her hands, moving her face towards yours, closing her eyes, and you close yours, and then you kiss.

You still feel the same spark from the first time Mari kissed you. It's never faded, sticking around and matching whatever the situation may be, whether you're 14 or 19. Like pairing the same wine with different meals. It suits every daily special.

It wasn't a long kiss, a few seconds at most, but by the time she pulls away your hand is at the back of her neck. She finishes her thought.

"...But you're always welcome." She smiles like only she can. You smile back - it's not as wonderful as hers, but she seems to like it. You are forever grateful that she does. "I'm gonna get myself ready, then." She stands back up. You stretch and start getting out of bed yourself.

"Alright, then. Guess I'll start cookin'!"

As Mari walks into the hallway, she calls back, raising one arm, "That's what I like to hear, good-lookin'!" You snort a little and smirk. She's never gonna get tired of that joke. But you'd best step up to the, uh, plate, so to speak. The stovetop is waiting, Hero. Your domain.

Chapter Text

Alright, Hero. Breakfast, breakfast, breakfast. You wanna make something special for the two of you, she's probably missed your cooking. But what's special? What breakfast food screams "we just got back from college and I want to make something extra-amazing for you and also I love you"?

You don't know the answer, so you decide to make all of it.

You glide around the kitchen cupboards like a professional ice-skater. 10s from all of the judges. You pull out the eggs, the flour, the milk, the baking powder, the bacon, the sausages, the coffee, the syrup... and some cinnamon buns your mom bought from Othermart last week. As you close the fridge door you notice a new pink sticky note attached to it.

"Hey champ,
Taking your Mom and Sally on a little day trip to catch the sun!
We've gone down to Nearby to stretch our legs and let Sally have
a lil play. We'll be back late afternoon. You were probably going
to anyway, but make sure to check in on Kel - you know what
him and Aubrey are like. Hope Mari's doing good!
Seeya soon,
Dad

Peace and quiet indeed. Ohohohoho, Hero, this is going well. Nothing can get between you and Mari now except a table full of breakfast. And breakfast doesn't tend to interrupt. Not that you're ecstatic that your parents and your little sister are gone for the day, but pancakes don't give you errands. They only give you a delicious mode of transportation for syrup and butter. Mmmmmm.

Right, back to business. You mix the pancake batter together, enough for two healthy stacks. Eggs, bacon, sausages, into the ready-and-waiting pans. Kettle on, water boiling, ready for the coffee. Now get those pancakes piled high. Pour, cook, flip, cook some more, plate. And again. On top of the first one. Keep going. Don't get overexcited, there are only two of you here. Though maybe the kids wouldn't mind some extra pancakes. They'd be cold, but you could probably heat 'em up in the oven in Mari's house if they didn't like that. But Kel would probably chow down on a pancake no matter the temperature. It could be frozen solid, discus-like in form and function, and he'd find a way.

You decide to just make pancakes for you and Mari. You probably shouldn't use all the stuff in the house, after all; you might need more for future pancakes. And Mom and Dad would probably make you spend some of the time that could be spent with Mari on going shopping for replacement supplies.

You're mid-cooking flow when you're interrupted by a hand running upwards through your hair.

"Smells gooood!" Mari coos.

"Hehehe, I'm glad you think so. Beats college food?"

"Oh, any day. I was getting sick of stale pastries before early-morning practice."

"I feel you, I feel you. Well from here until the end of summer, it's only the best of the best for my girl."

"Aww, you absolute darling... Mmmmwah!" She comes around to your left side and kisses you on the cheek, getting up on her tiptoes to do so. God, that's adorable. You feel your cheeks turning red. Still, you're both wearing comfortable smiles.

"I'm just gonna get the rest of this done and then I'll head on in to eat, OK? You can go ahead and sit down, that's fine."

"OK, sure! See you in a bit."

Mari softly treads her way to the dining room. You start humming a tune while you finish up the frying; then, after a few minutes, with all plated up, you head on in.

You walk into the dining room with a plate in each hand. "Breakfast..." You walk slowly up to Mari's side. "...is..." You lean down slightly and ease her plate in for a gentle landing in front of her. "...served." Touchdown. You make eye contact, pulling out all the stops to fill every nook and cranny of your face with charm. You can practically feel the sparkles fly off of you. It seems to work - Mari puts both her hands up to her mouth and giggles.

"Hehehehehehe... oh, you." She's starting to blush. Is that score one Hero?

You're not inclined to push the issue right now, because as the both of you look into each other's eyes, you can see Mari's grin and gaze softening, and you feel your own doing the same.

...It's the moments like these that make every feeling worth feeling to its fullest.

Life is a cosmic dance. Stars are born, they burn, they die, planets are crashed into form out of rock and gas and torn apart by forces far beyond their comprehension. Black holes tear matter away from its laws and supernovae and quasars dazzle the inky void and breathe into it light. Whether it be through sheer circumstance or grand design, you do not know, but somehow, all of these phenomena brought a plain and average star into being, surrounded by eight planets and myriad other little friends, and on one of those rocks came life, and then through the eons and the eras, that life grew and changed and morphed and learned to walk and run and fly and soar, and all the way down the line it led to you, Hero, meeting a girl called Mari, falling in love with her, becoming true loves together, and finally, looking into her gorgeous brown eyes one morning and feeling all the love and wonder and closeness and grateful feelings turn cartwheels across your soul.

There is a lot of empty space in this universe, but when you are with her, the universe feels very full indeed.

You take a seat opposite her. It's time to dig in.

After a few mouthfuls of comfortable silence, Mari pipes up. "Hey, I had an idea. Don't get me wrong, it's lovely having breakfast just us two, but I don't want the kids to feel left-out, y'know? So I'm thinking... how about we make them cookies to take over? It'll take us a little longer to get over there but I'm sure they'd appreciate the treat."

"Hmm... sure! Fine by me. I'll take a shower after we're done here and then we can get started."

"Alright! ...Ooh, it's been too long since I had Chef Hero's cookies."

That's a nice nickname. But you have something slightly different in mind. "Wellll..." - you raise an eyebrow and cock your head at a slight angle - "...it's been a while since I had Mari's cookies, too." You start firing up the charm circuitry.

"Oh, whaaat? Man, you know your cookies taste better than mine."

"But there's so much love in your cookies, sweetheart... Doesn't Hero deserve a little treat, too?" You switch on the puppy-dog eyes. Mari seems... not particularly swayed. She's leaning her elbow on the table, chin on her hand, eyebrows lowered, mouth formed into a recognisable smirk.

The standoff lasts a few more seconds. Neither of you move from your battle stances.

Eventually, your neurons fire a potential winning strategy into your mind. "How about... you make cookies today, and then in a few days, I'll make you cookies. And I'll make enough so that even if the kids get to 'em first, you'll still get to have a whooooole bunch.

Mari raises one eyebrow and ponders the suggestion for a moment. Then, slowly, she reaches her conclusion. "Deal." She puts her arm across the table, and you return the handshake. As you break off your grip, you pump your fist and break out into a huge grin. "Yes!" Mari immediately snorts and starts giggling uncontrollably, putting her hand up to her face as she leans down. You laugh some, too. You could probably say "score one Hero" here, as well (or should that be score two?), but you're content to leave it be. You're not quite as competitive as Mari, and, well... she's cute when she laughs. You're not gonna interrupt that, are you?

Mari finishes her giggle-attack, takes a deep breath in and back out, and wipes her eyes. "Hehehe... alright, lover-boy. I'll make some cookies. You can go get ready."

"Yeah, I'll go do that. See you in a minute!"

"Seeya, Hero."

Your shower is warm (not too warm, it's summer) and refreshing. You let yourself take your time a little, relaxing and letting the water and pleasant thoughts wash over you in equal measure. Changing into fresh clothes and opening the door, you smell a hint of chocolate-chip cookie.

After a little while longer of chilling out downstairs, Mari gets the cookies out of the oven and packs them up ready for delivery to the unsuspecting children. Cookies in hand, you in her other, you open the front door. It's bright and sunny outside. There's the faintest breeze blowing up the road. Wispy clouds float above, resting on uninterrupted blue. You give Mari's hand a little squeeze, which she returns... and together, you step out of the door.

Chapter Text

"So what do you think they'll have been up to while we've been at yours?" Mari asks.

"Mmm, I can't really speak for all of them, but knowing Kel, he's either still asleep or playing video games."

"You think so? By himself or with someone else?"

"Probably trying to beat someone at something. He'd do well against Aubrey, but Sunny... your brother's got a gift for those things. I don't understand it, to be honest."

"Hm-hm-hm... well, he's a very talented young man, what can I say? I wonder if they've figured out a group activity. I can't imagine Basil playing video games, at least not for long."

"True, true. It'd be nice if they'd all managed to be involved, even if Basil never really minds watching the video game battles." You have reached the door. "Guess we'll find out." You knock at the door - three knocks in quick succession, followed by three more in a swung rhythm; your distinctive "Hero is knocking at this door" door-knock.

You hear inelegant-sounding, heavy footsteps and the rustle of someone scrambling to their feet. "Comiiiiing!" The unmistakable Kel stampede lurches closer to the door and stops on the other side. It swings open.

"BROOOOOOO! HEEEEEYYYY!" Kel swings forward and gives you a bear hug, which you return. "Have a good morning? Good to see ya! MARIIIIIIIII!" Kel effortlessly transfers his bear hug from you to Mari, leaning down in the process slightly while she stretches up. He's not quite taller than you yet, but he is taller than her. "It's good to see you too! How was your night? Better than a college dorm, right? Man, I missed you! I really wanna hear how you've been doing!"

"Heheheheh." Mari's face is lit up with a wide-open smile. "Don't worry, Kel, I'll get to all your questions in time. It's good to see you, too!" They hold the embrace for a few more seconds before breaking off.

"Shall we go in?" you say.

"Oh, yeah, sure! It's not even my house!" Kel ushers you both in excitedly. Behind him, you can see Aubrey standing, ready to greet you. And by "you", you mean "mostly Mari".

"MARI! I missed you so much!" Once Kel is out of the way, Aubrey runs up and grabs a tight hold of Mari. The two girls in the group have an incredible bond. Not all that surprising considering the rest of you are boys - sometimes a growing young woman just really needs a gal pal.

"Aubiiiiieeeee!" Mari returns the hug just as tightly. "Oh, I missed you too, cutie, how are you? The two girls turn side-to-side just a little bit, still in each others arms. "Ooooh, IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou! How's school been?

They break off the hug, but stay close. "School's been alright! Nothing to write home about, really, but y'know, that's fine by me." A wicked grin is written onto Aubrey's face. "How's college been?"

"Oh my God, busy. I thought cram school was bad! But don't worry about that, I'm here now! Got a whole summer for us all to just relax now!" They smile at each other, then Aubrey steps to the side to let Mari past, greeting you at the same time.

"Hey, Hero!" Aubrey leans in to give you your own hug, and you lean in to return it. It's not as long or as tight as her hug for Mari looked, but it's still warm, and you can tell it's just as genuine. "It's good to see ya! Now don't go thinkin' I didn't miss you too, huh? How's the cookin' been goin'?"

"Aww, don't worry, Aubrey, I know you care about me too. Hahahaha!" You shut your eyes and sport a big grin. "It's been good, thanks! Busy, too, but I'd say it's worth it. Good food's always worth it, right?"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Aubrey looks over at Mari's box. "Speaking of... are those cookies?"

"Cookies? Aw, fu- I mean, heck yeah!" Kel pumps his fist, and then notices the eyebrow you've raised at him.

"Now, Kel... don't tell me you've gotten a potty-mouth while I've been gone...?

He snaps to attention. "No!... No." Aubrey points at him and belly-laughs, earning a pout and a glare from your little brother. Once she's done laughing at Kel's expense, she looks to you and pipes up.

"Honestly, man, don't even worry about it. He slips up sometimes, but you should hear me, dude, I don't even care."

"Oh, really?" You re-raise your eyebrow at Aubrey. Aubrey raises both of hers, daring you to do something about it, grandpa.

...Aubrey wins. You lower your eyebrow, give a sly smile and a knowing nod upwards, then turn and head on inside to sit down.

"We'll sort out the cookies in a minute," Mari says. For the moment, she puts the box down on the coffee table, which you wordlessly direct Kel not to take from, then turns her attention to the two boys at the couch, one standing, one sitting.

"Hey, Basil!" Mari steps over to the blonde kid and gives him a hug where he stands. "It's good to see you! How's everything been, flower-boy?"

"Ehehe~" Basil giggles at the nickname. "It's been good, Mari. I missed you..."

"Aww, I missed you too! Don't worry, though, huh? We have all summer now, and I'll make sure we fill it with good stuff." They lean back from each other, both sporting wide, happy grins on their faces. Basil's eyes have moistened up a little. Though for differing reasons, he needs someone like Mari in his life. You suppose everyone in the room does, one way or another.

Last, but certainly not least, Mari steps over to her little brother, sitting on the couch with his feet curled up, kind-of like a cat. As Mari approaches, though, he stands up, not quickly, but purposefully. His eyes are sparkling with a light not quite like anyone else's. And if you look real closely, you can see the tiniest, most perfectly-formed smile on his face.

Brother and sister spring for each other and pull themselves together, Sunny's hands almost touching around Mari's back, Mari's fingers lightly clasped around Sunny.

"Sunny..."

You can see Mari's eyes watering as she closes them. "I'm so happy to see you, little brother. I missed you."

Sunny speaks softly and in monotone, though if you listen hard, you can hear a slight waver to his voice. "I missed you too."

"I know, I know... I'm sorry I have to be away so much. But like I said, we've got all summer now, right? We're gonna make it a great one."

"It's OK."

A few seconds crawl by.

"...I love you, Mari."

"I love you, too, Sunny."

The embrace gets just that little bit tighter on both ends. Everyone else stands around and watches as it goes on, silently - much like you, they wouldn't dare interrupt this for the world. Basil in particular has an angelic smile on his face and eyes brimming with what threatens to be tears. You whisper his name, gesture him over to you and, when he arrives, give him a side-hug. He wipes his eyes and sniffles a little, and you rub his side to reassure him like he's your little brother, too. Family's not just blood.

The hug goes on for a good little while longer, rocking back and forth softly and carefully, then the siblings break away. Sunny's smile has stayed on him, and Mari's wearing her own smile, a single tear falling from one eye. Mari giggles, sniffles and wipes her eyes with her hands.

"WOOOOO! REUNIOOOON! THE GANG'S ALL HERE!"

"Kel!" Aubrey whisper-shouts. "They're having a moment!"

Mari chuckles softly, and Sunny's smile shapes back into his regular emotionless face as he looks around. "No, no, it's fine. I think we were just about done, right?" She looks at Sunny, and Sunny nods.

"Hold on a minute, though... Sunny, where are Mom and Dad?"

"They said they had business," Sunny quietly responds to his sister. A boy of few words - of clarity, of brevity.

"Oh... well, OK. Guess it's our house for now! Do you know how long for?"

"A week or two."

"Hmmm, that's plenty of time for sleepovers and cartoons and, uhh... well, I guess whatever we want! Within reason." Mari quickly points at Kel and Aubrey, and eyes them both in turn with a slight smirk.

Aubrey leans back on the wall, propping one foot up against it and grows her own smirk, larger and more wicked than Mari's. "Pffffff, well there go my plans." You turn to her, eyebrows raised. Mari's eyebrows raise as well, though the smirk never leaves her face. Aubrey cackles and slaps her knee. Mari and you turn to each other, sharing a glance, and Mari rolls her eyes and laughs. Kids, right?

You step forward closer into the centre of the room and clap your hands together. "Well, then! Speaking of plans, what say we make some? Oh, wait, actually... plans can wait. Who wants some cookies? Mari made 'em especially for you!"

"Oh! Thank you, Mari!" Basil cries softly and giddily.

"YEEEEEAAAAAHHH! COOKIIIIIIEEEEEES!" Kel yells.

"Been too long since I got some freshly-baked goods," says Aubrey, pushing herself up off the wall.

Sunny looks at you and nods. His eyes are twinkling a little bit.

"Hehehehe... sounds like everyone's excited. Let's not keep 'em waiting, Hero!" Mari says.

"Oh, goodness, no. Alright, let's go to the dining room and get these cookies eaten! I've missed Mari's cookies, too." Mari giggles softly again as she turns to walk to the dining room; Sunny and Basil follow her. Your heart has been softening watching her so happy to see her little brother and all of her friends again, and listening to her laugh gently to your compliment is like an extra cherry on top. It's not in the least bit mean-spirited, you can tell. She liked hearing that, and you are glad.

You'd happily say it again. But you have children to feed. You walk towards the dining room, and Kel and Aubrey trail behind.

Chapter Text

After making your way into the dining room, you pass on your own greetings to Sunny and Basil. Sunny gives you a warm hug and short responses to your questions about how he is, with a decent number of nods or shakes in lieu of words, and asks you similarly briefly how you are. The hug you get from Basil is noticeably softer than Sunny's (whose hugs, at least with you, were not particularly firm, but far from weak), but he's rather chatty; he excitably asks a lot of questions about culinary school and the big city, and enthusiastically answers (at sometimes considerable length) your queries about how he's been, how school's been going, his flowers, how many new photos he's taken and what kind of things he's snapped... In fact, he keeps going until Mari is done getting drinks for everyone to go with their cookies. Kel gets some Orange Joe (how he can stomach mixing the taste of chocolate-chip cookies with that orange-flavoured radioactive waste is beyond you), Aubrey receives some lemonade for the summer day (it is starting to heat up a little), Basil asks for just some water from the tap, Sunny gets a mug of hot cocoa, Mari fixes herself an iced coffee, and you ask for a glass of milk. Not your first drink of choice, typically, but hey. Cookies!

"Sunny..." Aubrey's nose is wrinkled, and she looks more than a little confused. "It's up to you, obviously, but cocoa? In the summer, on a day with this kinda weather?"

"I like cocoa." ...Fair enough.

"I mean, I guess..."

"Leave the man and his cocoa be," Kel butts in, louder than he should have.

Aubrey's comeback is swift. "HEY! I'm just sayin', I'm not tellin' him he can't! And don't get me started on your drink of choice, you are not in a position to start sassing me."

"Guys, guys..." Mari plays defuser. "We just got here. Can we eat the cookies before the fighting starts?" Mari speaks in a pretty serious tone, but there's a smirk on her face. She was never quite as actually bothered by the squabbling as you were.

"...Sorry, Mari." Aubrey breathes out slowly and turns away from Kel.

Kel huffs. "Yeah, sorry."

Mari closes her eyes and cocks her head sweetly. "Thank you!" She lets the softness hang in the air for a second before her kind smile twists into a smug smirk. Her eyelids lower. Upon noticing this, you internally snap to attention. You know what that face means. Something's coming. Something silly.

...What is she planning?

"Besides, we can all drink what we want! Including Kel and his runoff from the nuclear power plant!"

Ah.

Her voice is way too sing-songy to be dealing stuff like that out. It seems to work, though. Kel gasps, while Aubrey doubles over, head almost hitting the table, issuing a long snort that turns into a wheeze that turns into a signature cackle. Basil is covering his mouth with both hands, attempting to stifle his giggles. Sunny turns to look at Mari, then Aubrey, then Basil, then Kel. He quickly flickers his eyebrows up and down and takes another sip of his cocoa.

...After a pause, you chuckle a little bit, and then groan without realising beforehand.

"Mari!" Kel fake-yells, putting his arm up to his forehead, then sniffing once and tracing a singular fake tear from his eye with his finger. "You, too? You wound me." Drama queen.

"Sorry, buddy, it just ain't for me." Mari lets out a high-pitched chuckle of her own.

"Aaahhh, I'm all alone here! No-one gets the delectable delicacy that is Orange Joe except me... unless - Sunny!" Sunny turns quickly to Kel, expression still blank save for enquiring eyes. "Whaddayou think of Orange Joe?"

Sunny waits a beat, then shrugs.

"Have you ever even tried Orange Joe?" Sunny blinks twice, followed by a quick shake of his head.

"DUDE!" Oh, dear, you think. Kel's gonna start proselytising. "Here, have some a' mine! I'm tellin' ya, it's ambrosia."

"Ooh, where'd you pick up a big word like that, Kel?" Aubrey's face is still red from laughing so hard, and she has her arms crossed, face folded into an honestly gigantic smug grin. You get the feeling that if you were to try to wipe it off her face, it probably wouldn't come off, and would instead just leave a carbon copy of the smug grin on the wipe. It's not worth it, Hero. Two of those grins is too many. Trying not to get embarrassed when Mari flashes one is bad enough...

"Shut up!" Kel's response is quick and predictable. "Anyway," he turns back to Sunny, "do ya wanna try it?"

Sunny waits, more than one beat this time, then purses his lips, and slowly, very deliberately, shakes his head.

Aubrey repeats her earlier reaction note-for-note. Kel yells, "AW, COME ON!" with his arms raised high in the air as if calling to the heavens to give him a break. Basil and Mari are looking at each other, now both stifling laughter.

Sunny pans the table, then takes another sip from his mug.

You lean across to Mari and say quietly, "Y'know, if anyone ever doubts that you and Sunny are siblings, you can tell them about your shared comedic timing." She's still too busy stifling laughter to respond with words, but she leans forward slightly and puts her hand on your wrist. An unstoppable smile breaks out on your face, and your cheeks prickle just the faintest touch. Mari notices, and although she still has her mouth covered with her other hand, you can see the warmth and affection pool into her eyes and the little crinkles at their edges.

Once everyone is finished dealing with the aftermath of Sunny's (frankly impeccable) comedic bit, everyone returns to the box of cookies.

"So what has everyone been up to before Mari and I got here?" you chime in. "Video games? Movies? Maybe a little bit of hanging out in the treehouse?"

"Oh!" Sunny played a little bit of his violin for us!" Basil sounds excited, hands clasped together and eyes twinkling. "It was really good! You're really talented, Sunny!"

"Thank you," Sunny mumbles.

Mari turns to Sunny, excited. "Oh, you played? Aww, I'm a little sad I missed that. Think you'll play again any time soon? Maybe I could even join you on the piano like old times!" Sunny nods. "Aw, yes! Thanks, little brother." Mari leans and gives her brother a side-hug, one he apparently wasn't expecting going by the look on his face. Still, he returns it once he's acclimated to its feeling.

"What did you play for them?" Mari asks.

"Eine kleine nachtmusik." ...Sunny's German pronunciation is... pretty good, you note. "I kept messing up the triple stops."

"That's OK! You're just playing for fun, right? You don't have to worry about it being perfect."

Mari has a storied history with perfection. She used to need it in almost everything she did, especially her music. It all came to a head about four years ago, when Mari and Sunny had been practicing for a recital they had. Sunny just wanted to spend more time with Mari, she told you at the time, so he played his violin while Mari played the piano. But it became toxic. Mari pushed Sunny much too hard, and it hurt him, pressing fingers into strings all the time. It started eating into the time he wanted to spend with his friends. Mornings normally reserved for cartoons became practice sessions. Mari herself grated on Sunny, always pushing him that bit harder, slowly wearing down the softness with which she normally treated him, becoming abrasive, passive-aggressive, and cold, seeping through the cracks in Sunny's gentle state of mind. Never directly, but he could tell from her ever-so-slightly clipped tone of voice when he messed up, the terseness in her movements whenever she readied to play or turned to him to tell him what he'd done wrong this time, the scoffs she'd make when they were in separate rooms and she thought he couldn't hear. But then it was all so normal outside of practice - she was warm and sincere and loving, everything she usually was to him; he was thrown completely off-balance. He couldn't understand the poisonous marble of care and scorn, and he didn't know which one was real - which Mari he could trust to believe. It all came to a head on the afternoon of the recital, when Sunny finally gave out under the pressures of not feeling good enough, by Mari or himself, and threw his violin down the stairs. Mari got angry, they fought, and... Sunny pushed her.

Thankfully, Mari was able to steady herself on the banister and hold her balance, even with her bad knee. She would have been even more furious after that, had she not noticed Sunny's anger shatter into terror like he was punched glass. He knew how close he had come to hurting his sister... or worse. You can't bear to think of the other outcomes. Instantly, Mari saw the fear in the boy's eyes, and rushed to hug him as he broke into loud sobs. She quickly followed suit. Apologies poured forth like rushing water, and Mari came to realise what she had done to her brother, seeing it in his eyes, hearing it in his voice, and learning it through his words. Pushing him so hard. Unrelentingly. He couldn't take it. She should have known he couldn't take it - who could? She should have noticed him getting more stressed and less willing. She should have seen the fingertips of his gnarled left hand. She felt so guilty, so horrible, like such a bad sister. You know all of this because she told you, more than once, hunched over and crying, sitting on her bed, or your bed. She couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks. She promised herself, and made you hold her to it, that she would never hold herself to an impossible "perfect" ever again, and even more so, that she would never, ever push perfection onto anybody else.

They called off the recital. It wasn't worth it. It took a few years, but when Sunny expressed some interest in playing a little music again, everyone worked hard and saved up to buy him another violin. They'd all heard, to greater or lesser degrees, what had happened. No hard feelings about the last one. It wasn't even his birthday this time.

He was so grateful, and so happy.

"Don't worry, Sunny. I don't even know what a triple stop is!" Kel says. Kel deserves more credit than he gets a lot of the time, you feel. He might not be book smart, but he has a gift for perception. Not all the time, but when he really needs to, he can read a room with laser-focused clarity. He's a people-person. He knew Sunny probably still feels a little worried about mistakes, so he reassured him. It seems so simple, but it's so beautiful, and so kind. You feel very deeply that you are lucky to have Kel as a brother, and you know that everyone else here is lucky to have him as a friend.

Basil and Aubrey snicker at Kel's lack of knowledge. You're pretty sure that they don't know what a triple stop is, either, though you keep schtum on it.

You know what a triple stop is. Mari explained it to you once.

You clap your hands together again. "So... anyone got any ideas of what they wanna do today? It is lovely outside, after all."

"Whatever's fine by me, honestly," says Kel between chugs of Orange Joe. "I'm just glad we're all together again!"

"Oh, ya big softie," Aubrey teases. "...He's not wrong, though. It's good to have the whole gang here." She smiles sweetly and softly, pulling her mouth into a V-shape. You're not quite sure how she does it, but it's very cute. "How 'bout a picnic? Seems only the right thing to do with all of us here. Aaand, hehe," she grins, "I've missed 'em while Hero and Mari've been away."

Sunny leans forward and nods in approval to Aubrey's suggestion. "I'd love a picnic!" Basil thirds.

You turn to your little brother. "Kel?"

"Are you KIDDING? Of course I'm down with a picnic!"

You chuckle and ruffle his hair, which makes him grumble a little bit, but still with a smile on his face.

"Guess that settles it!" Mari pipes up. "Shall we all get some food ready, then? You can all start picking out what you want and making sandwiches, I'll go and grab my basket and blanket. Sunny, did Mom and Dad do any shopping before they left?" Sunny nods to Mari. "Great! I'm sure they won't mind us taking some of it, hehe."

Chapter Text

The walk to the hangout spot isn't too eventful. You and Mari walk ahead, while the kids trail behind and talk about the latest Captain Spaceboy issues. Kel's pretty certain that it wasn't as good as it used to be. It's quite funny how confident he is about it.

"You know, when I was 16, I thought all the Spaceboy comics from when I was 12 were way better than the ones coming out four years later. Maybe you're just getting older."

"Yeah, but I'm right and you weren't."

Kel's cocky comeback elicits hearty laughter from Mari, who throws her head back a little and then covers her mouth when it lowers. You have once again found yourself the butt of the joke. It wasn't even a joke, to be honest. Kel just told you you were wrong and Mari laughed.

...At least she's cute when she's laughing.

Your arm gets yanked forward as you enter the park. Ah, yes, you brought Hector with you. Hector is your family's dog, a Shiba Inu with a red collar and an insatiable pep in his step. Your parents didn't take him with them and Sally to Nearby, so after a little bit of fetch in the garden, on went the leash and off went the dog, veering dangerously between considerable speed and a complete lack of. You see what he's yanked you for - he's spied a trash bag by the park fence. Now he's standing stock still, just... sniffing it.

You pull on the leash carefully but firmly as you try to walk on, repeating the dog's name over and over, until you see him start to lick the trash.

"Hector!" You give the leash a harder tug, and Hector senses his time is up and trots back in front of you. From there, it's just smooth sailing to everyone's spot by the lake among the trees. Mari gets out her picnic blanket and flourishes it dramatically as she settles it on the grass, then spreads it smooth.

The months of college were worth it. Because now you're back in town, your girlfriend is by your side, your best friends are all here, you get to see your dog, and everything's going great.

It's picnic time, baby.

Oh, yeah.

You plop down on the blanket, while Mari somewhat more gracefully sits down beside you. Kel stretches loudly and goes off to walk around the grass a little bit, Basil and Sunny sit down across from you, while Aubrey lies straight down on the grass next to the blanket with her hands behind her head as a pillow. Hector, now free from the leash, toddles off to sniff around the trees behind you. As long as he doesn't... do... his... business... out in the open, it'll probably be fine. You've got the bags just in case, even though no-one besides yourselves really comes out here. For now, though... you're tired.

You lean a little towards Mari and let your head loll to her shoulder. Mari does the same. You both smile contentedly and breathe slowly and peacefully. You each let your minds float on the fluffy clouds in the blue sky of the presence of the other.

Your eyes, which had been closed in your gentle drifting, open when you hear a bubblegum voice. "Enjoying yourselves?" asks Aubrey. She's still lying on the grass, but she's turned her head your way, clearly relishing the ability to get some teasing in. She laughs when her voice makes you jump.

"I certainly am," replies Mari. "It's good to be home."

"Oh, yeah, totally. I know I like to tease you, but it's really cute the way you two act around each other." You feel your cheeks start to prickle and flush; you smile awkwardly and run your hand back through your hair. "You're an adorable couple, honestly. Must be great having that."

"Aww, Aubrey!" Mari giggles sweetly. "Yeah, I can't deny it's pretty great. ...Don't think I would deny it if I could, honestly." Your heart feels warm when you hear this. "But don't worry! I'm sure you'll find that special someone."

Aubrey smiles. "Yeah... Thanks."

"You're always welcome, sweetheart. And you never know! Your special someone might be a lot closer than you think!"

You look at Mari. Her smile appears genuine and smirk-free - it's bright and warm and her eyes are closed to match - but you're pretty sure that was supposed to be a wink-wink-nudge-nudge reference to Sunny.

Aubrey's smile falters and she turns back to look at the sky. "...-Y-Yeah. Maybe." You can see a faint pink shade start to paint itself just-so on her cheeks.

You sit up and Mari does the same, and you give her a silent quizzical look. Mari smirks back. Of course she knew what she was doing. She, like you, thinks Aubrey and Sunny together would be very cute, but unlike you, Mari likes to have fun hinting at it.

...And if that's what Aubrey deals with, imagine what Sunny might be on the receiving end of! Her own brother. So many playful remarks and smirks he must face about his feelings for Aubrey. That poor boy. Though knowing Mari, with any luck she knows her brother well enough to go easy on him. At least a little bit.

Well. Now that you aren't drifting off in Mari's company anymore, you take stock of what's going on around you. Basil and Sunny apparently weren't with you for very long, since the picnic basket is now open and they're walking around with something in their hands, inspecting the flowers and the pinwheels. Kel seems to have taken it upon himself to climb a big tree on the periphery of the hideout. Aubrey has shut her eyes, pink fading from her cheeks, but still there if you looked a little closer.

You fancy a sandwich, so you dig into the picnic basket for one. You decide that while you're there, you should ask Mari and Aubrey if they fancy a sandwich. You turn to Mari. "Fancy a sandwich?" you ask.

"I'm OK at the moment, thanks."

Guess she doesn't fancy a sandwich.

"How about you, Aubrey?" You look up at Aubrey while you ask her and you realise... she's fallen asleep. She's breathing softly.

"Ah," says Mari, hushed. "Guess it's not a bad time for a nap after all the cookies she had."

"Yeah... not a bad idea," you respond just as quietly.

"Was cuddling up with me not restful enough for you?" You turn your head particularly quickly in Mari's direction at this, and sure enough, her eyes are half-closed and she's got that cute smug smile going. The fact that she's still cute while trying to fluster you only serves to make you more flustered.

You stumble over your words for a few seconds before Mari puts her hand on your shoulder and giggles, holding the other one to her face, then moves to stroking your hair. It's a blissful feeling. A little embarrassing to realise that you're basically acting like a big lanky dog, though. You understand why Hector likes pets so much, at least.

Basil and Sunny walk back over, a cheery look on Basil's face and a little twinkle in Sunny's eyes. Kel uses the same moment to bound over and yell at everyone to ask how they're doing, which wakes Aubrey up. She bops him on the head, something you're pretty used to by now. And Kel, by the looks of it, though he's still not particularly pleased.

Basil leads. "All the flowers round here are doing nicely! And our pinwheels are just fine, too. We did straighten them out a little bit, though." Sunny glances at Basil and nods. Basil smiles back, sweetly and sincerely.

"Nice to know everything's been in order while I've been at college," Mari beams. "Having a good time, Sunny?" He blinks and nods again, eyes sparkling.

The boy turns to Aubrey and (in a somewhat uncommon event) starts the conversation. "I saw you were sleeping. Was it good?"

"O-Oh." (Aubrey wasn't expecting that either, apparently.) "Yeah, it was good, thanks! Well... I should say it was good."

"Hehehe... sorry." Kel rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, one eye closed, and performs a combination wince-smile.

You extend your hospitality to the three new arrivals and the newly-awakened Aubrey. "Fancy a sandwich?" They each take one, except for Kel, who takes two, and then immediately stuffs half of one into his face like a hamster with a piece of cheese. You try not to think about how he does it. He's a strange boy sometimes, your brother.

Gotta love him for it, though.

Sitting in a rough circle, the group starts to chat freely about how things have been in their lives, and what they might get up to, on their own and with everyone else, in the blessed few months of summer they have been granted.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day passes without much fanfare, but that's fine by you.

Once done at the park, everyone headed off to Gino's for a good meal. The owner was kept happy by Kel's pizza order, while you kept to your sandwich, which you shared with Mari. Kel had more pizza than he should have, as per - it practically went down his throat without touching the sides. Sunny, Aubrey and Basil split two pizza between them, with Aubrey and Basil taking the lion's share, while Sunny took his more modest, but not insubstantial, fill. You noticed Mari watching Aubrey and Sunny surreptitiously yet intently whenever they negotiated which pizza slice was next to be theirs. You wanted to tell her to give them a break, but couldn't figure out how to do it without drawing attention to the whole situation.

You reckon Basil knew as well. You caught him sneaking glances at the two of them, and when he noticed that you'd seen him, he looked at you, smiled almost invisibly, and raised an eyebrow for the most fleeting of moments.

That sly dog.

It was getting a little late, so off you all trotted, back to Mari's. You stopped by yours on the way to let your parents know - your mom was a little upset you didn't have a meal with the family, but you, Hero, oh, Hero, were able to charm her the way only you know how. Along with a little help from your dad in convincing Mom to let you spend time with your friends, and your "lady", in his words (Mari found that kinda funny... she will be teasing you with that word later), you all went next-door, for whatever shenanigans lay in store, whether it be cartoons, movies, video games, or just talking and having fun in your little group. There's little better.

You all got to chill together for the first time in a good while. It was really nice, and really... necessary. It's just not the same with other people. The close-knit group in which you've managed to find yourself is just something special. Nobody from school is ever gonna come close. Especially not anyone who acts like some of the people in your course. Or your roommates - those lazy, lousy, good-for-nothing sons of-

Anyway. Point being, your friends from Faraway are great and so is spending time with them. But at this moment - though you aren't really in the business of picking favourites - only one person in particular remains floating at the forefront of your mind as the other thoughts fall away.

You're in Mari's room, lying in a makeshift bed underneath a blanket fort that's built pretty well, if you do say so yourself. She's lying next to you, under the same blanket, one that's thankfully big enough. Kel took a little jab at you and suggested you should get a room to yourselves, but you hurriedly reassured him that wasn't going to be necessary, and Mari promised to, in her words, "be good," which only served to embarrass you more.

...At least Aubrey found it funny. A little too funny... if you do say so yourself.

It's bliss.

You wish you could give it more words. You wish you could wax lyrical to everyone about how much they mean to you, and to Mari about how much she means to you, the raven-haired goddess sent from the brightest star. You wish you were a wordsmith, but you aren't, not out loud. But in here, in here, in here, inside your head, where no-one else can peek and no-one else can pry, and where the neurons dance in symphonies of electrical impulse to a rhythm only they can understand, in here, you write the songs, Hero. She is in them all. She isn't the subject of them all, but her existence and her presence colours each timbre that echoes around the dance halls in your mind and weaves its way between the neurons dancing in pairs, holding each other close. Black and white like piano keys, dark like her hair, light like the fire in her eyes, delicate... delicate like her. Like her hands, her words, her lips, her skin, like her soul, but her soul is also strong, oh so strong, stronger than yours, ah, yes, stronger than yours! It holds yours up when it needs the help, for it is always there. For everything is in its place and though life throws its obstacles, you have her with whom to face them, and a gaggle of siblings and friends working together, together, TOGETHER! HERO! YOU HAVE IT! YOU HAVE IT ALL!

You're a very lucky man, Hero.

...Hold on.

Your reverie is interrupted by clicking fingers in front of your face.

"Earth to Hero," Mari whispers.

"Huh- oh! Sorry, sorry." You blush.

"Hehehe... what's got you dreaming?"

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am."

"Awww... you softiiieeee." You blush harder as she grins. "But I'm lucky, too." Her smile softens and her eyes deepen into the shimmering... things (there are no words) you could look at all night.

You have to say what's on your mind. "I love you."

And she strokes your hair... "I love you, too."

And you kiss her, and she kisses you.

Hmm... a wordsmith you may not be, but maybe the simple words are good enough.

And the neurons dance again.

No sooner than your lips have unlocked that you receive a cushion to the head. It's Aubrey. "Pssst! Get a room! I'm tryna sleep!"

"This is my room, though..." Mari replies.

"Gh- ju-" Aubrey throws her head back and stares at the ceiling for a few seconds, wheezily laughing to herself. "Just go to bed."

Kel concurs. "*snore* Yeah, guys, c'mon... time for bed... *snore*"

...And he's back asleep.

Sunny makes a little grunting-groaning noise that signals his agreement with Kel and Aubrey without pulling him too far out of the realm of dreams. Basil... oh, he's fast asleep.

"Alright, alright," you say. "Goodnight, everyone."

"Night," says Aubrey.

"Goodnight," says the love of your life, as she smiles at you, and closes her eyes in your arms. And you close your eyes in hers.

Goodnight.

Goodnight, Kel.

Goodnight, Basil.

Goodnight, Aubrey.

Goodnight, Sunny.

Goodnight, Mari.

...

Goodnight, Henry.

...

You drift away.

Chapter Text

You're cleaning your side of the room.

Making sure the bed is made, making sure the window is nice and sparkly-clean, grabbing the duster and swiping it through all those hard-to-get-at little corners in drawers and on shelves... Getting everything sorted out. Spring-cleaning! But it's not spring. Ah, well - who made the rule that says cleaning has to be reserved for spring?

You know where spring is, though - it's in your step. Hahaha! Eurgh...

But so long as the thoughts in your head are airy, your steps tread light. So you can breeze around your side of the room and get it all spick-and-span.

...There are no cobwebs. Good. You'd need Kel's help for those.

One of your CDs is playing while you pursue cleaning as art. How many young men your age listen to Wings, do you think? You suppose you've always been a slightly older soul in some respects. You remember you talked about music with the gang once, and much amusement and merriment was had when everyone realised concurrently that you have the musical taste of a dad. There was quite the back-and-forth.

"Hehehe... looks like we've got an old man in our midst, hahahaha!" She starts laughing.

"Huh... so you like older men, Mari?" the other girl suggests.

She stops laughing.

Embarrassment crawls across her features, and her face starts reddening, and as the little devil in pink starts grinning, she buries her face in one side of your chest and thumps her hand (gently, but firmly enough that you know she means it) on the other.

Who's laughing now?

It's good music, though. And if you count as Mari's "older man", then you'll happily wear that title. You're only 19, though... a little early to suggest you've peaked. They could at least give you until you finish culinary school!

The song playing now is a nice, sweet one, from Wings at the Speed of Sound, called "Let 'em In". It's breezy, it's welcoming, and it's got trombones in it! Gotta love a bit of brass.

Someone's knocking at the door,
Somebody's ringing the bell,
Someone's knocking at the door,
Somebody's ringing the bell,
Do me a favour,
Open the door
And let 'em i-

Your daydreamy, sing-songy cleaning is interrupted by the sound of knocking on your own door. Was anyone in the family expecting anyone today? Don't think so. Still... better let 'em in.

Hahahahaha... if anyone else were listening along with you, that would've been a good joke.

"I'll get it!" You hop downstairs, light on your feet. You walk to the door, swing it open and-

"Hey," says Mari, lifting herself up and down on her toes, hands behind her back.

"Oh, hey! What's up!"

"Aaaaaaah, not much. Could I have your ear for a second?"

"Oh, uh, sure. You'll have to take the rest of me too, though."

Mari pulls some kind of unimpressed smile. You grin, closed eyes, ear-to-ear, the works.

"...May I come inside, funnyman?"

"Hahaha!... Yeah, come in." You step aside and Mari walks in.

"Can we talk in your room?"

"That's fine! Kel was in there last I saw, but I can ask him to leave if need be. Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, yeah! Just wanted to mention something."

"OK." Having gone through the living room while talking, you clamber up the stairs, two at a time. Mari follows behind you, one stair at a time - she's not quite tall enough for two at a time to be the most comfortable option. When you walk back into your room, Kel is lying on his bed, fiddling with his little game thing.

"Hey, Kel!"

"Oh, Mari! Hey! What's up?"

"Not much. How 'bout 'chu? What'cha got there?"

"I'm training my Pet Rock. Wanna get good enough to beat Sunny."

"Oh, you do, huh? Maybe I should let Sunny know he's got competition coming his way."

"No, please don't!" Kel cries out, sitting up and letting his arms drop to his sides. "I need the competitive edge!" Mari starts laughing.

You take the opportunity to ask for your privacy. "Hey, Mari wanted to talk to me about something. Do you think you could move somewhere else for a little while?"

"Oh, yeah, no problem. Hey, was Sunny around when you left, Mari?"

"When I told him I was coming here he was drawing in our living room - I'm sure he'd like the company!"

"Cool! I'm gonna go see him, then." Kel pushes himself off his bed, briefly appearing quite sprightly for a boy of his stature, then flops his way out of the room like he was never anything but gangly.

Mari calls after him. "See you later!"

You hear a voice echo through the hallway and make its way to you. "Seeya!"

"Hahaha... hope he doesn't disrupt Sunny too much. He seemed quite comfortable."

You sit yourself down on the bed, and Mari sits next to you. You put your arm around her. "So what did you wanna talk about?"

Mari... sighs, and flops down onto your lap, facing up. As you look down, a little part of you expects her to look smug, or flirty, or something like that, even though you know she wants to actually talk, but instead, she looks pensive, and a little anxious. Her mouth, instead of her smirk, is pulled into one corner.

"Hey... everything alright?" you ask, softly.

"Yeah, just... well. I've had something on my mind."

You stroke her hair, flowing behind her onto the bed and off of your lap, and smile gently at her. "...I've gotcha. I'm all ears."

"...Thanks." She smiles back, a glow on her face. After a moment, she sighs. "So... do you remember when I used to hide spiders and bugs and stuff in your desk at school?"

"U-Oh!" Your free hand moves to the back of your neck. "Uh-h, yeah... what about it?" Sure, it's embarrassing, but looking back down, Mari still doesn't look like she's joking around here.

"I've been thinking about how I used to do that, and... I don't really feel like it was nice of me, or- or like, fair. I wanted to say I'm sorry for doing that to you. I really am."

"Oh! Um... Honestly, I hadn't even thought of that in a while. It's OK, right? I mean, we were only kids. It's not a problem, honestly! No harm done."

"...I don't feel like that's really the point, though. I mean - was there really no harm done? Like, you have a thing that bothers you, and I took advantage of that. Like whether I thought it was funny, or I thought it was cute when you got flustered," (the blood vessels of your cheeks begin whirring into action at this,) "but whatever reason it was for doesn't justify it. And sure, I could be like... blah, blah, I wanna help you get over your fear, or something, but that's not how to do it, even if that was the reason. You don't help someone by just... pushing them into their problems without any sensitivity. It wasn't right of me, and I shouldn't have messed with you like that."

It's hard to see her like this.

Mari's clearly frustrated, and sad. You move your hand closer to her and stroke the side of her head, some of her hair naturally tucking itself behind her ear as you go.

You breathe in and out slowly and deeply, looking up and back down as you do so. You can't help but offer a concerned, sympathetic smile.

"...You've been thinking about this a while, haven't you?"

She's turned her head away, looking out at the room. "...Few days."

"Yeah... hey." Mari looks back up at you. "It's OK. I promise. I honestly do. It's fine.

You think for a moment.

"I understand what you mean. And I really do appreciate that you care so much to be so considerate about it, so... thank you. I still don't feel like you need to apologise, but I'm grateful. And... sure, there are better ways to help somebody, and sure, you could've... um... acted differently?" (It's hard to phrase that part delicately.) "But it's OK to give yourself a break, I mean - like I said, we were kids! And that did impact how we thought about stuff. We couldn't think like fully-grown adults, right?"

Mari's expression reads a little softer now.

"It's better to get all that figured out as a kid so you can grow into the best person you can be! And I know that..." You were already speaking gently, but now you speak gentler still. "I know you give yourself a hard time if you feel like you've messed up, but it's OK to make mistakes and learn from them. So even if we did decide together that that's something you really needed to be sorry for, it'd be something we could easily move past. And, besides, I feel like I'd have told you before if I were really that bothered by all that stuff... You don't need to be perfect. And even if you don't feel like you're perfect, I - I, uh, I guess I feel differently, because you're still perfect enough for me." You smile down at Mari.

You look up and think for a few seconds, then look back down. "Is that- did that come out right? Finding the words for this is a little hard. Uh... I hope I did OK, hehe..."

There's a twinkle in her eyes, and she looks... she looks appreciative.

She rubs your arm and speaks softly. "...you did just fine... thank you." She smiles up at you, warmly, with any sadness reduced to just a little tinge. "Thank you. That really helped."

You smile back at her. You're relieved. "It's my pleasure. Always will be."

You stay in silence for a few seconds, Mari with her hand on your arm and you keeping your hand in her hair, as you both glance around.

"...Feeling any better now?"

Her smile turns from warm to bright. "Much better."

"That's what I like to hear." You grin like a little boy, or like Kel. "Wanna do something now?"

"Mmmmmhh..." Mari stretches. "I wanna stay like this. Just a little longer?"

"Hahaha... alright. A little longer."

You stay in a comfortable silence, sometimes glancing around, but mostly looking into each other's eyes. A compliment worms its way to the surface of your brain.

"...You're very pretty."

Mari's smile intensifies. You did it, Hero! You made your pretty girlfriend beam! "Aww, thank you! You sweetie..."

Then she pinches your cheek. "You're prettier..."

She doesn't look smug, but there's a certain knowing part to the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes. Maybe some other time you'd be embarrassed by that, but honestly... it's just so Mari, and you love that. You can't help but start laughing, and she chuckles along with you.

Once the laughter dies down, you figure you should check on both your younger brothers. "Hey... time to get going? Maybe we should see how Kel and Sunny are getting along."

Mari pulls herself up, grunting a little with the effort. "Hehehe... alright. A little less quiet than when I left, I bet."

"Oh, gosh... yeah, you know it."

You stand up, lifting Mari by the arm. Taking advantage of her newfound momentum, she pushes forward into a hug, which you quickly and gladly return. She lifts her head up... and you return the kiss she offers, too.

You bask in the glow of the love coursing through you both, and eventually break away.

"Hehe... thanks again, Hero."

You put on some charm. "You are always welcome."

She ruffles your hair like she would a puppy. "Shall we go?"

"I think we shall."

You take her hand in yours, and she takes your hand in hers.

Chapter Text

It's snowing.

It's April!

It's snowing!

Why? This isn't how this works! It's supposed to be getting warmer by now! Where's the sun?

There's a knock at the door. You tread over to open it. The sun is there, standing faithfully behind his big sister.

She's carrying a basket. She has a question.

"Snow picnic?"

Snow picnic.

And that was how you found yourself preparing for a snow picnic. You've been wrapping up warm, layer by layer, and attempting to convince Kel to do the same. He protests, saying things like "I'll be fine! I'm plenty warm enough!", but you know that later on this will prove itself not to be true and he will regret it, so into the sweater and coat and scarf and gloves and hat he goes. They're all orange. He's complaining about being too hot now, but this is merely because he lacks the foresight necessary to realise he will be colder outside, so it'll even out. The next time this happens, he will forget again. You can lead a horse to water, but it will not eat from the Tree of Knowledge.

Mari and Sunny wait in the living room, babbling with Sally and playing with Hector. As you kit up, you hear the little ones speaking to each other.

"Ababa!" Sally says to Sunny.

"Babababa," Sunny replies, sagely.

"Aaaaaaaaa! Ha-deh-deh-deh-deh-deh-deh-de-bu-buh." Sally kicks her legs up and grabs her feet.

Sunny looks up and past Sally, into the middle distance. He waits a beat, then nods. "Mmm."

Mari thinks this is all very funny - she's giggling away. They're presumably not talking about anything in particular, but sometimes you feel like you wouldn't put it past Sunny.

Once you're ready, and after Kel's tearaway adventure through his half of your room to find all of his stuff, you trot outside. Off you all go, to fetch Basil and Aubrey. Mari leads the way.

"Snow picnic?"

The boy gasps. "Just let me finish watering my plants! I'll be right out!"

"Snow picnic?"

The girl's eyebrows jolt upwards, her mouth forming a little O of surprise. Her eyes begin to twinkle. She smiles wide. "Absolutely!"

Snow falls from the barren grey sky. The lake has frozen over. The chill floats through the air, moving from space to space, person to person, leaving no one out from its long-fingered embrace. A snowflake dances in the sky as it makes its way towards its compatriots, its final destination, ready to linger in slumber until the usual April middling warmth returns and dissolves it into the soil, allowing its journey to continue as water into the grass.

This particular snowflake, however, is destined for something greater. Tumbling through the atmosphere, this snowflake catches your undivided attention by landing on Mari's nose.

Her mouth forms a little O like Aubrey's did earlier (maybe that's where she gets it from...) as her eyes try to focus in on the snowflake, sharpening and moving closer together. "Aha! Oh, that tickles a little."

The kids, walking ahead of you, all wheel round, alerted by Mari's exclamation. Sunny has quite possibly thought about what he would do in this situation in advance, replying almost immediately. "Get it with your tongue."

"How- Sunny, how long do you think my tongue is?"

"She's got you there, dude," replies Aubrey. "Hero, how long's Mari's tongue?"

"H- wha-" - whatever words you might have had get caught up in your throat, and you begin coughing.

"Aubrey!" Mari exclaims, as the culprit leans forward and holds her stomach to cope with her own laughter. Sunny side-eyes her, thoroughly unimpressed and a little perturbed at the images she's attempted to conjure up. Basil is blushing, while Kel seems stunned by what he's just heard; he's quite clearly been stopped in his tracks as he tries to move past all of... that.

Once you all recover (it takes a moment), you head to the picnic spot by the (currently frozen-over) lake, and set up base camp, on the blanket, amidst the snow.

"It really is beautiful here when it's snowing..." Mari murmurs.

"Isn't it just?" you say.

"Almost as beautifullasyouu... heeheeheehee!" Mari slurs her words like she's very aware of how cringeworthy what she just said was... at least she's amused herself. To be fair, it wasn't that bad an ironic joke, but your cheeks are a little warmer now.

Kel doesn't seem to be on your wavelength, unfortunately.

"Eww... blech."

"Ha! Weak."

"You're taking their side, Aubrey? All that toughness is just a front for the mushy-gushy real Aubrey, huh? Is that what this is?"

"Oh, you're running your mouth real smart for a guy within whacking distance!"

"You couldn't whack me, you're too soft and romantic!" Kel clasps his hands together and shifts upwards as he speaks, trying to act like a little girl in love.

"Oh yeah, well how about I stick my foot up your a-"

Basil steps between them. "A-anyway! Let's, um..." - his voice gets really small - "...let's do something else, maybe?"

"Guys, guys..." Mari interjects. "As much as I'm sure you're both having a wonderful time, Basil's right. Let's let cooler heads prevail, hm?

This brings Aubrey's proverbial temperature straight down - of all the ways one could stop her from arguing, an intervention from Mari is easily the most effective. You may be the oldest of the group, which affords its own privileges in rank and status, but nothing and no one could give the girl a command like Big Sister.

She gets sheepish almost instantly. "Sorry, Mari! Sorry..." She clasps her hands together and kicks the snow, all bashful suddenly. Then she sucks all the emotion out of her voice as she addresses her competitor. "And sorry, Kel. I guess." She looks away, apparently not quite willing to make eye contact.

You wouldn't call her on it, but Kel might not be that wrong when he calls Aubrey a softie underneath it all... You're not going to tell Kel that you think this, either. It would quickly become ammunition, which nobody needs... plus, well, Aubrey would find out. And that would be your butt on the line.

Sunny, out of the blue, puts his hands up and out like he's been wronged. Basil is confused... well, he's the most visibly confused of everyone. "What is it?"

He mumbles. "It was just startin' to get good."

Kel stifles a giggle, while Aubrey rubs her head and looks down, going back to sheepish. (Is she blushing?) Basil looks slightly perturbed, while Mari smirks and raises her eyebrow.

"Oh, little brother..." Mari laughs. "I know the am-dram can be fun to watch, but we can't always silently enable them. Especially once it gets to threats about where people might place their feet."

"That's just your opinion."

Mari throws her head back and laughs. Everyone but brother and sister, including yourself, seems to find things slightly awkward at this point... though from your own point of view, and judging by the look on Kel's face, his too, it's not unamusing, in its own special way.

The conversations continue flowing, the food is brought out onto the blanket, and the good times roll until that evening, when, tuckered out from play, conversation, laughter and the odd bit of bickering between Kel and Aubrey, everyone decides to head home.

You go back out there, that night, well after the sun has set. The snow has stopped, but a soft, white pelt remains across the clearing and atop the trees.

The necessary arrangements have been made, so, as planned, as you step forward towards the lake, Mari is there. You have arranged a rendezvous, in the snow, under the moon.

All that's left is to put yourself into the painting.

You walk to Mari, and as you head over she waves and starts taking off her gloves. You weren't aware of this being a possibility until she did it, but you suppose it only makes sense that she'd like to hold your hand skin-to-skin during a romantic tryst...

So you start taking off your gloves, too. Once you reach her, you hold her hands together in yours. Both leaning in, you plant a chaste kiss on each others' lips.

Once you break apart, Mari speaks. "This has got to be one of my better ideas."

"I'll say," you reply. "It's beautiful out here."

"God, isn't it? I've seen the snow here but I've never come at night. It's breathtaking."

"Yeah... I guess the picnic spot serves double duty now, too."

"Hm?"

"Well, during the day, it's for hanging out with everybody, but at night it's just for the grown-ups..." You start putting on your charm face.

"Hehehehe..." Mari giggles, then leans into you and puts one hand to your cheek - you put your arms around her in response. "The lake after hours, huh?" She's starting to look smug. "I could get used to that."

"Well," you say, in full charm offensive mode, "I'm sure we can work that out."

You kiss each other once more, then once more again, like neither of you can resist going back in for another after the first taste. Then you hold her in your arms and sway together gently, side-to-side, as you take in the sounds of her breath, in and out over the ambient sleep of the clearing.

Mari speaks again, after a little while. "You know, it's not really that cold out when you have someone else's body heat keeping you warm..." The tone of her voice tells you that her facial expression has gotten just a little more sly.

You laugh softly under your breath. "You can say that again."

A little while longer passes. You think for just a moment, then softly say,

"This is really special, you know." You lean out of the embrace to look Mari in the eyes and she does the same, a shade of rose on her cheeks.

"It really is," she says, barely above a whisper. "...I love you, Henry."

It still touches your heart in its deepest, most secluded spots every time you hear it, and those moments always absorb you; everything else falls away and it's just you and her, together, in love. Sometimes, when you're pondering to yourself, it occurs to you that maybe Mari is the universe's gift to you, and it's times like these - among others - that make you conclude, in those thoughtful moments to yourself, that she is.

You match her quiet voice, and reply. "I love you too."

You kiss her on the forehead, tenderly. "I love you so much. I must be the happiest man alive right now."

"Mmhmmhmm..." Mari laughs breathily. "Then I must be the happiest girl..." she says, mumbling a little bit, her eyes half-lidded and the red on her cheeks deeper now. She leans back in for another kiss, and you return the gesture.

This one is longer... more passionate.

When you pull away (your cheeks are red now, too), you bring up a thought that appeared in the back of your head during the kiss. "Maybe we shouldn't get too into kissing while we're technically in public..."

Mari's face gets a little sly again - her voice starts getting lower and slower. "Henry, Henry, Henry, you are a very responsible man... But I think we'll be alright. I've never seen anyone besides our group come back here, have you?"

"...True... I have to concede that point, hah."

Mari leans her face closer to yours. "And I'm pretty sure they're all in bed. We're not gonna do anything that serious either..."

You think for a moment, then look back at Mari, smile, and wink. "I guess I can relax a little... just gotta assess the situation properly first, right?"

"And what's your assessment, park ranger?"

"...My verdict..." - then a good line comes to mind. "...my verdict is that your lips should be against mine a little more."

"I like that assessment."

You lean back into each other.

Making out in a blanket of snow, in one of your favourite places, on a beautiful, chilly April night. Does it get much better than this? Right now, you don't need to find out.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, Mari wasn't able to be at your birthday/New Year's party this time around. Nor was Sunny. Not for lack of trying - both of the siblings made it quite clear to their parents that they wanted to be there, particularly Mari. But their mom and dad, as Moms and Dads are wont to do sometimes, dragged them out for a gathering with the extended family. Mari said to you her dad was dead set on the idea, and given that how... "cool"... his feelings have historically been towards your relationship with his daughter, you didn't really want to get tangled in this argument yourself, you told Mari back.

To which she sighed, and agreed.

That doesn't stop your mobile phone making a beeping noise about two minutes past midnight. The wonders of modern technology mean that you can now be contacted by the people you know almost anywhere you go at the press of a button, but they don't even have to call you! They can just type little text messages instead. Mari's gotten quite comfortable with it since it's become available to you both.

It turns out that the thing your phone was trying to alert you to is indeed a text... and it is from Mari! You think you'd better take this, so you excuse yourself, promising your mother you won't be too long, and go and sit on your bed to text Mari back.

Mari:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY HEROOOOO!!! <3 <3 <3 im sry i cldnt b there 2nite. ill make it up 2 u :) this years gna b gr8 4 u, i knw it! c u rl soon xoxoxo

Thank you, Mari <3 I love you so much. You don't have to apologize. I'll see you very soon. How's it going with family?

its goin ok, thnx! lots of ppl we dnt spk 2 much here. sunny keeps getting pulled over 2 relatives who havnt seen him since he was little. poor thing :'( lol

Oh, dear. :-( Please send Sunny my strength and best wishes, it sounds like he needs them haha. Did you manage to get away, then?

i asked 2 b excused for a lil and my grandma convinced my dad 2 let me go lolll :D gd ol grandma <3 dad made sure sunny stayed tho, id hv rescued him otherwise

Oh, no... poor Sunny :-/ Let him lie in in the morning, he'll need it!

oh dw i will :))) hows evrythng at yrs?

Going great, thanks! I'm in my room ATM. It sounds like Kel is entertaining Sally and my parents RN - keeps some heat off me until I have to go back haha.

lol nice. hope the rest of the party goes well sweetie <3 ill make sure i give u ur presents tmrw!!

Presents, plural? How much did you get me? You know you don't need to spoil me like that...

its okkkk i just got u an xtra 1 this yr :)) wanna guess wt it is???

I'm not sure I have time for guessing games, honey. Sorry. :-)

boooo >:( ill just tell u then... its me ;)

But you're my present every day ;-) <3

but tmrw im gna be an xtra special present, bc... ill unwrap myself for you :3

or wait... mayb youd like 2 unwrap me all by yrself... ;D

Mari... don't we both have other things to be doing right now?

well whn i get back i cn giv u smth 2 do, big boy :) :) :)

...Oh, gosh. Well... I'll make sure I'm ready, then, LOL!

lol u arent the best flirt thru txt bt i'll allow it :3 ok id better get going sry. c u tmrw good-lookin <3 xo

No worries. I should really make a move, too. See you tomorrow. Hugs and kisses. <3

You put your phone away and head back downstairs.

...Mari can really be a handful. Though you can't say you don't enjoy it. It's part of what makes her so special. You wouldn't change her for anything, and you know she'd say the same for you.

Anyway, back to the birthday party... though you'd better get some rest at some point, Hero. It sounds like tomorrow night might be a late one as well.

Chapter Text

Aubrey has these... acquaintances.

She's not that close with them, at least not compared to the gaggle of six you've formed yourselves into, but they seem to get on well. Sometimes they're milling about in the park, so Aubrey catches up with them and does a little of her own milling, sitting on a bench and putting the world to rights, kind-of. They're certainly some... forthright young people.

There's Angel, who truthfully speaking is too young to be hanging out with these kids. You think he's about thirteen, and his voice hasn't broken yet. He really looks up to one of them in particular, so you presume he just wormed his way in as part of that allegiance. You vaguely know his sister - she's friendly, yet quite intimidating. And if you think she's intimidating, having barely talked, you can only imagine what it's like for her younger brother...

The boy Angel looks up to and tries to imitate is called Mikhael, although if you asked him his name you wouldn't know that. He insists on going by a different name as part of his supremely-cool, ultra-strong smooth criminal kind of persona, and that name is... "The Maverick", for some reason. Not Maverick, as you once accidentally found out - The Maverick. You almost got an earful for that one; luckily he was able to keep his composure in front of your more senior presence at the last second. The day Mari first saw him acting like this was the day you learned what a "chuunibyou" was.

There's Charlene, who... why is Charlene hanging out with these people? She seems diametrically opposed to the rest of this gang in her manner, her interests... She's tall and broad-shouldered - maybe they recruited her for some kind of indimitation tactic? No, that can't be it... would they just do that? Would Charlene even say yes? ...Eh. Perhaps Charlene has a side of her you don't know about. Or that group of kids is just softer than they first appear. Either way it seems to be working out just fine so far, so you'll leave her be. She does seem to share an interest in flowers with Basil - she doesn't match Basil in the... intensity of that interest (who could?), but they do seem to get on quite well talking about it.

Vance is up next. He's only a year older than all the rest (apart from Angel), but you'd never guess it. You left for school in the city one year and when you got back for your big summer break you didn't know why these kids were going around with this guy in his twenties... it turned out after some asking around, and some inconspicuous listening-in, that you'd just witnessed the results of a remarkable growth spurt for the first time, having missed getting to watch the process take place. Fascinating genetics at play, really. It's not because he eats healthy, either - from what you can gather he eats candy like a truck guzzles gas. With a weakness for taffy. Aubrey says this might be "useful information later"; you don't know what she means exactly but you don't like it.

Speaking of candy - Kim! The apparent leader of this rag-tag bunch, and Vance's younger sister. She's quite... boisterous. Not a shy young woman. Possibly part of why she seems to get on with Aubrey as well as she does, since Kim is who Aubrey appears to be closest to, relatively speaking. Her head is partially shaved - not that it's any of your business, and you couldn't care less yourself, but you do wonder what her mother makes of that haircut... from your very limited interactions with her, she didn't seem like the kind of woman to give that the thumbs-up. Keep going, Kim - bossy mothers can be overcome with a little smooth-talking...

Anyway, Kim orders these other kids around and they follow for some reason, getting up to mischief the kind of which you're not quite sure. They don't seem to be all that bad? You think? It's hard to tell the extent of their rebellious activities when you don't really speak to them. You know that Kim and Vance steal candy from the store at the side of Othermart, though. Great job, Vance - really an excellent role model for your younger sister, there. Good work.

Today's encounter with the fascinating five begins at Othermart. You're on your way out from buying Saturday-morning TV snack supplies with your cohort when you notice Charlene, Angel and Mikhael standing around outside the automatic doors, seemingly waiting for something. You barely have time to ask yourself what they might be waiting for as you begin to walk back to Mari and Sunny's house before Kim and Vance amble out, smarting. You think you might be able to guess what they're smarting about.

Aubrey pauses to listen to the conversation between the gang; yourself, Mari, Sunny, Kel and Basil follow her lead - some of you more curious than others. Basil does seem somewhat interested, whereas Sunny checks out almost completely. It's kind-of impressive how totally he can send his brain to a different place, really. Some people need drugs to do that...

Kim begins unloading the quasi-gossip. "Grumble... Grumble... We got caught."

(Your guess was correct.)

Vance continues. "Sorry, guys, no candy haul this time... Man, I really wanted taffy, too." A chorus of groans, sighs and frustrated exhales resound from Mikhael and Angel. Charlene looks on silently, seemingly unmoved by this devastating blow.

"Why didn't you let Master help you? That would've been a sure victory if you were by his side!" Angel punches in.

"Mikhael would have blown our cover immediately. He would'a tried to chat up the girl working there or something."

"Kimberley! Do you truly think so little of me that you believe I couldn't hold back my radiance for one minute?"

Kim takes one large step into Mikhael's personal space. Despite being shorter and skinnier than him, she cuts an imposing presence. The boy shrinks back accordingly.

"Call me Kimberley one more time and a wig'll be all that's left of you."

Mikhael just nods quickly, almost quivering in fear. You don't know if Kim is all talk, but you and Mikhael would probably agree that you don't really want to find out - though dealing with those possibilities would probably be decidedly more trouble for him than for you. Your fitness regimen isn't the most dedicated, but it's not to be sniffed at.

It's at this point that Kim notices the six of you standing by. She turns and cocks her head - you hear Basil take a step back next to you.

"Enjoying the show?"

Aubrey sniffs the kind of sniff you sniff when something is almost funny enough to laugh at. "Yeah."

Kim half-smiles and lowers her eyes. "Well I'm glad we could be of some entertainment to you." Then she snaps out of it, turning fully towards you and taking a few steps forward. Basil relaxes. "'Sup, nerds?"

"Hey!" Kel interjects.

Kim is unamused. "Being into basketball just makes you a sports nerd, Kel."

"Oof..."

Much to Kel's chagrin, Aubrey sniff-snort-laughs at that, too. "Sorry... she did get you there, though."

Your younger brother sighs and solemnly closes his eyes. "...Everyone's turning against me."

...

...There are a few seconds of silence, until Mari steps past you and initiates her own conversation. "Kim, hey! It's good to see you. Vance, Charlene, Angel, The Maverick, you, too." She smiles warmly. Mikhael gets flustered, but either not noticing or pretending not to, Mari presses on. "What have you all been up to recently?"

This marks Kim's turn to be flustered. "OH! Uh... nothing much, just... we've been spending a lot of time at Hobbeez lately..."

"Oh, that's cool! You wouldn't happen to have been to the candy store recently, by any chance?"

"Wh- um- no, not really. Why do you ask?"

"Because of the failed attempt at theft you recounted right in front of us not 60 seconds ago." Mari's smile hasn't let up, nor has her cheery manner of speech. It's proving rather unnerving to Kim, who hasn't had the opportunity to get used to this uncanny ability of hers.

Kim's face turns bright red, and she stammers and splutters until Vance lays a hand on her shoulder. "It's OK, sis... we can call it when we've been beat."

Kim 's voice is weak. "...Talking about it right outside was a terrible idea." You notice Charlene purse her lips, raise her eyebrows and nod at this statement - you don't know her stance on candy-stealing for sure, but she clearly knows how to keep her mouth closed when it counts, and you can respect that.

Mari giggles. "Don't worry. I'm no narc... though it seems like there's no need for a narc this time, considering your empty hands, right?"

"Aw, come on!" Kim yells. Aubrey is now mid-giggle fit.

"Grumble... Grumble... let's go to the park, guys..."

Having recovered from the giggles, Aubrey makes an offer. "You want company?"

"Aubrey, I thought we were going back to Sunny and Mari's place," says Basil.

Aubrey appears pensive for a second, then replies, "I kinda feel like a trip to the park, honestly. Haven't hung out with these," she points her thumb to the delinquents, "in a while. How's that sound?"

"I don't mind," says Mari. Kel agrees; Sunny shrugs.

"Mmmm... I guess we can always push our plans back a little," says Basil.

You weigh up the options in your head, and decide that some time out in the fresh air of Faraway Park wouldn't go amiss. "Fine by me," you say, and you smile broadly. "Aubrey, Kim, lead the way!"

So you've ended up at the park, shopping bag of snacks in tow. You're standing side-by-side with Mari as all the kids get up to different little activities about the place, splitting off into subgroups and combining with elements of the band of wannabe rogues.

Mari sighs. "You OK?" you ask.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling the breeze. Had I known we were going to be out longer I would've brought a jacket.

"You can have mine if you want." You are aware this is a cliché.

Mari snorts. "What, am I a princess you recently rescued?" Looks like she's also aware... "No, you can keep your jacket. I'll tough it out."

"Are you sure?"

She slings an arm over your shoulder. "Ohhh, don't worry, sweetie, if I change my mind you'll be the first one to know~"

You can't help but grin, in a slightly exasperated way, and sigh as you speak. "OK..."

Mari leans on your other shoulder, and you just know she's smiling away.

You both stand like that for a few seconds, then Mari lifts her head off of you, wraps her arms around herself and exhales through her mouth, puffing out her cheeks as she does. "I tell you what, though, I wouldn't mind taking a little walk around the park. We can see what everybody's getting up to with the gang kids."

"I'm cool with that." So you take her hand and she takes yours in return, and you start ambling around Faraway Park. First to catch yours and Mari's eyes is Basil, who's sitting on a bench with Charlene. He sees you approaching and waves.

"Hey! How are you?" calls out Basil.

"Hey Basil," you say. "Hi, Charlene." You give a bright smile. Charlene gives a small smile and a gentle nod in return. You've known Sunny long enough, and are well-mannered enough, to know not to push people to talk if they're not always inclined - and Charlene doesn't know you all that well, anyway, so it's kind-of to be expected. The smile and nod will do you just fine.

"What have you been up to?" Mari asks.

"Nothing much," says Basil. "I was telling Charlene about the flowers I've been growing recently!"

"Ah, the latest round, huh? I haven't come and seen your flowers in a while, actually, I should - hold on a minute. Hero and Basil, do you mind if I take a seat on the bench?"

"That's OK!"

"Oh, not at all," you add. "Everything alright?"

"Thanks, guys... Don't worry, I'm fine, just -" Mari eases herself onto the end of the bench, next to Basil. "-aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, that's a lot better. Just needed to get some pressure off my knee. Been standing around too much recently. Sorry, where was I?"

"Ummm," Basil thinks as he scratches his cheek. "Oh, you were talking about wanting to visit my house and see the flowers."

"Ah, that's what it was, yeah! I should talk to you one day and we can work out when we're both free. It's not that far for me to come visit, after all."

Basil's beaming - if there were any sunflowers around they'd probably look towards him right now. "I'd love that! Thank you..."

"Hey, anytime!" Mari glances down at her leg and purses her lips. "Provided the knee's doing alright, that is."

"Of course, you don't have to push yourself! ...Thinking about it, I'm sure Hero would be happy to carry you from your house to mine if you asked him nicely enough, ha-ha." Basil smiles an amused smile at Mari, then at you. He has a very innocent look on his face for a boy who knows full well the teasing and embarassment he has just provoked.

Oh, Basil... you sly little thing.

"Hehehehehehee! I'm sure I can, good point."

Besides your own slight embarassment, you're aware that Charlene is just sitting there, largely unaware of the background behind all this, so you try to bring her back in. "You're into flowers, right, Charlene?" She nods.

"Any particular favourites?"

Charlene looks up into the sky for longer than you were quite ready for. After a few slow beats, Charlene answers - "...I like asters... I, um - New England asters are my favourite."

Basil's eyes light up and he instantly becomes more animated, almost like there are invisible strings conspiring to pull him from his seated position. He gasps. "I love New England asters!" (Was there a chance he wouldn't?) "My- um, my grandmother's carer Polly took me to a flower show once and they had a big display with all different colours of aster in it! I should show you the pictures I took someday!"

"...That would be lovely." Charlene smiles bashfully; behind an exterior some would be intimidated by (admittedly, not helped by the company she keeps) lies a sweet, kind and gentle soul. It's important never to judge a book by its cover!

An angry shout from the direction of the monkey bars takes you all by surprise, especially Basil, who jumps a little (poor kid...). Turning to see what lies in store, you spy Kim standing around by the bars next to Aubrey, who's hanging upside-down by her legs from the apparatus.

"Who was that?" you ask everyone.

"Who do you think? It was Aubrey," Basil replies with a question of his own, affecting disdain and snark in his voice and rolling his eyes, then snapping out of his act and chuckling in a wide smile. His act catches you off guard a little.

"I- wh- I mean, I don't know! They could be as bad as each other."

Basil lolls his head to one side while assessing your point. "True."

"I wanna go over there and check out what's going on," says Mari, before turning to you. "You coming with?"

"Uh, sure," you say. "I should probably tell Aubrey not to hang upside-down like that for too long."

"OK, doctor." You raise, then quickly furrow, your eyebrows. "While you're helping people stay fit and healthy, could you help this unfortunate young woman with a bad leg get up off her seat?"

You smile nervously and push out an exasperated sigh. "Of course, darling." Up you pull her. "We'll be off now, Basil, Charlene. Is that OK with you both?"

"No problem!" replies Basil, and Charlene gives a little nod of approval. With that, you say your little goodbyes and start walking over to Aubrey and Kim. A few steps into your short journey, Mari leans in close with her arm around you.

"You know I'm just teasing, right?"

She seems pretty comfortable right now, and she looks a little like she's still teasing, but if you know Mari, and you do, there's a part of her that would also genuinely appreciate knowing if she's overstepped the mark. "Oh yeah, of course, no worries." You smile back at Mari, hoping to reassure her.

"Hehehe... OK, good. Just let me know if I'm being too much for you. Just, uh, give me a swift tap on the nose or something."

Wait, what? You laugh quitely a little, taken by surprise. "Like I'm training a dog?"

"Exactly like you're training a dog! God, we're so in sync. This must be why we're together." You laugh at that, and Mari giggles in response. Once the few seconds of giggling are up, your slow amble has brought you over to Aubrey and Kim.

Alright. Time to find out what's going on...

You're going to say hello to the two girls, but Mari beats you to the punch. "Hey, ladies!"

"Hi, Mari!~" Classic Aubrey, going all sweet when Mari comes around... It's heartwarming to see that side of her show up for her big sister figure.

"Oh, hey."

...Classic Kim.

"How have you been doing?" you ask the girls, then you turn to Aubrey. "And how long have you been hanging upside-down?"

"We're fine, man. I've been like this about 10 minutes."

"OK, well, be careful, it's not good to stay like that for too long."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Dad, I'll keep that in mind." Kim snorts. Now you've been sassed in front of the leader of a gang. Thanks, Aubrey...

"Hey, he's right, you know," Mari chips in. "Best to be careful, no?"

Aubrey huffs and dangles her previously-crossed arms down to the ground. "Can't do anything around here, can I?" It's OK, though - she smiles a cheeky, yet wholesome grin back at Mari, who laughs gently in return.

You'd better get to the point. "So, uh, we heard some kind of shouting from over here a minute ago. What's got you both, uh..." You're a little stuttery. Asking Aubrey this would be one thing, but you don't know Kim that well. Asking her too is a little more difficult. "...riled up?"

Kim stands up a little straighter. "School. Uh... annoying teachers, and all that."

"I hate math," Aubrey deadpans. "Mr. Thompson doesn't make it any better."

"Oh, Mr. Thompson! I remember him," you say. "I wonder how he's doing... To be honest, I got on pretty well with him, even though he could be a little strict."

Aubrey throws her arms wide. "That's because you were good at every subject." That makes Mari giggle, and you a little embarrassed.

"So you think he's on your case because you're not doing so well?" she asks. "Maybe that's your incentive to do better!"

"Mr. Thompson doesn't make it feel like an incentive, that's for sure."

"I think he just hates kids," Kim adds. "I dunno why he's even a teacher."

"He just wants to inflict misery on us, Kim! He's just a prick. I hate it!"

"Young lady..." Mari interjects, and walks closer. "In time. Sooner than you know, you'll be -" - she gestures with her thumb behind her shoulder energetically - "- outta there! Just gotta suffer through it now, unfortunately."

Mari ruffles Aubrey's draping pink curtain of hair, to Aubrey's chagrin. "Stooooop..." But Mari just giggles, and walks back to you. Just before she turns back to Aubrey and Kim, Kim speaks.

"Hey, uh, H-Hero, I think your brother might be getting up to something..."

Huh? You turn around, and sure enough, at the end of the park, near the entrance to the group hideout, a very fed-up Kel is standing toe-to-toe with a very... energetic Mikhael, engaging in a mostly one-sided fierce battle of words. You'd better defuse this.

You turn around and flash Kim a grin and a wink, which she stammers at. "Thanks, Kim. I'll go and see if this needs sorting out." You offer your hand to Mari, who takes it.

Hopping down from the monkey bars, Aubrey joins you and Mari, wicked grin on her face. "I'm coming with you, I wanna see this."

"Guess I'll come along, too, then," says Kim, followed by a sigh. So the briefly-formed alliance of the four of you head on over to whatever is about to go down, Kel's annoyance and Mikhael's... qualities becoming more evident every second.

As you approach, Kel notices you and appears visibly relieved. "Hero! Bro... help me out here..."

That's not what you wanted to hear. The more you can stay out of this, the better, but it seems that option has already been taken from you.

It's time to put on a brave face and be the big brother you were always meant to be.

"What's the problem?"

"I'm trying to tell Mikhael-"

"It's The Ma-"

"Just - shut up for a minute! I'm trying to tell him that if he challenges me to a race across the park he's just gonna embarrass himself, but he's not listening!"

Mikhael looks aghast and being interrupted and told to shut up. It may be best to step in here before Mikhael loses the pride that he believes he has.

You turn to him.

"Mikhael... are you much of a sportsman? Because Kel really is... I wouldn't want you to race him and have that, uh... blow up in your face."

He obviously doesn't have the stomach to challenge someone older and more responsible rather than another kid, so his comeback is somewhat muted. By his standards. "Fir- um, firstly, sir, my name is The Maverick, and I would prefer to be addressed by that moniker. Secondly -" he recovers some of his stance - "secondly, The Maverick excels at whatever he attempts! I am certain that I will succeed!"

"It's your funeral," deadpans Kim. "You should listen to Hero. I'm pretty sure he knows Kel better than you do."

"Yeah, honestly," Vance adds, between mouthfuls of candy, "it won't end well for you if you challenge the nerd." Kel looks quite put out by that one. You raise an eyebrow at Vance, but he doesn't seem to notice. "You know he's a sports guy. You're like... an anime guy. You'll crash and burn."

Mikhael is incensed. "Don't tell them that! UHH-" He panics. "I-I... I see no reason to bring anime into this! There is no need to besmirch anime or me with your ad hominems."

Mari has been quietly grinning with amusement at all of this unfolding. "Yeah, The Maverick's right! Nothing wrong with anime."

Wait, what?

The Maveri- Mikhael looks positively perplexed at Mari's intervention. He probably can't handle being defended on the topic of anime of all things by someone who a) called him by his preferred name, b)is older than him, thus higher in the pecking order, and c) female - and pretty to boot. If you do say so yourself...

"Uuuuuuh- uu-uh-uuuh- UM. See? The fair lady agrees with me!" (Oh, jeez...) "It's Mari, isn't it?"

"Yes! I'm Sunny's older sister."

"Ah, I see. Then Mari - what do you say to the thought of my gentleman's contest with Kel? Surely you must see that the outcome of this race is far from predetermined! That I, The Maverick, can truly win!"

Mari tilts her head and rests it on her chin for a few seconds as she thinks, then she closes her eyes and smiles in an expression of the utmost sincerity and sweetness. "I think you should give it a try! I'm sure it'll be rewarding for both you and Kel." You note how her answer deftly dodges the actual question of whether or not Mikhael could win.

Kel's confused, though, and so are you, frankly. "Mari?" Kel asks. "I... I don't see where you're going with this."

"Oh, come on, Kel! It could be fun! And it'll be great exercise!" She still has that same expression on her face... OK, you have some questions.

"One second, please, everybody." You put your hand on Mari's back and guide her to spin 180 degrees with you. Backs turned to the kids, you speak in whispered tones.

"What... what are you doing, exactly? Are you sure encouraging whatever's going on here is a good idea?"

The more you speak, the more evident the amusement on Mari's face has been growing. She laughs under her breath. "Listen... he's got an overactive imagination, sure. But he's only got about two years until he goes to college, and all of that imagination and personality get sucked out of him by adult life. I say we let him play."

...Ouch. That's surprisingly rough. With that being said, you can see where Mari's coming from.

"...Yeah, OK. That made me feel old, though."

"You and me both, handsome. Now let's get back to it." You turn back around, and Mari resumes where she left off, sweet smile and all. She clasps her hands together. "So! Kel? The Maverick? What do you both think?"

Kel looks quite annoyed now. "Why are you so in favour of this?"

"I just don't see what the problem is with having a fun little race!"

A few seconds pass in a silent standoff. After the frustration melts from his face and turns into confusion, Kel relents. "...Alright... but Mikhael, remember you brought this on yourself."

"I have brought nothing but victory upon myself!"

Oh, boy.

With you and Kim acting as impromptu referees/mediators for the rules conversation, the game is afoot! The competitors decide to race from one end of the park to the other and back, so everyone stands at the tree line by the basketball court and Kel and Mikhael get into position. A very excited Angel calls the task of starting the race. Just before he does, though, someone else shows up - Sunny, ambling up to Mari with a glint in his eye, and seemingly ready to watch the race. It's an impressive show of his sneakiness and, regrettably, your distractedness, that you hadn't even noticed he was gone.

Mari puts her hands on her hips. "Oh, there you are! I was wondering where you'd gotten to."

"There was a cat," Sunny responds. No wonder he looked happy.

"Oh, of course." Mari ruffles Sunny's hair roughly, making him pull up his shoulders sharply and scrunch up his face. "And I trust you both had a good time?" Sunny nods.

"Hehehe... well, I'm glad." Mari speaks the last part softly and genuinely. "Nice to have you back in the human world." She pats Sunny on the shoulder a few times, and he closes his eyes gently and leans into it.

"E-HE-HEMMM!"

Everyone turns to see who's conspicuously clearing their throat and finds it to be Angel. "ARE WE READY FOR THE RACE, EVERYBODY!" Everyone nods and agrees that they're ready, and Angel prepares his power stance.

"OOOON YOOOUUURRR MARKS!"

"GEEEEEEET READYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

He's practically jumping up and down now...

GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Both boys bolt from their starting position. Kel makes a determined effort, while Mikhael looks like he's putting positively everything he has into this race. He honestly looks like he's taking it really seriously.

However, it becomes clear after a few seconds that one of the racers has developed a commanding lead.

Kel pulls ahead of Mikhael by a long way, while the chuuni boy starts flagging after only a few seconds. A few times he almost loses his wig from flailing around, and has to keep a hold on it, which only slows him down further. He hasn't even made it to the other end of the park yet - his return journey is bound to be even more of a show.

You turn to the gang leader. "Hey, Kim." She perks up and lifts her head, seeming a little surprised. "Sorry, for, uh... humiliating your friend like this."

Kim's eyes dart around. "Oh, uh- don't worry about it, man. No problem."

"Besides -" she locks eyes with you as her face forms a tiny, yet surprisingly malevolent smirk - " he really had it coming."

All you can do to that is laugh awkwardly, and a few seconds later, Kel makes it back to you all, not fazed much at all by his bout of exercise. He turns back around and yells to Mikhael. "Hey! I won. You can stop now."

"NO! I will finish this race!"

A few other people from around the park are looking over at Mikhael now. He's about a third of the way back to you, and very evidently the worse for wear. Poor kid - though admittedly, if it went down the way Kel said it did, then Kim was right - he definitely had it coming.

He'll learn one day. Like Mari said - college isn't that far off...

He gets back, sweating and smarting, and he takes a good number of good, deep breaths while Kel looks on and Kim and Aubrey laugh. Angel seems pretty upset at his "master's" great loss, and rushes over to console him, while Aubrey and Kim just laugh. Once he's done recovering, Mikhael whips off his wig, hunches over, and shouts a guttural cry into his hands.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

"You reap what you sow," says Kim, deadpan once more, walking over and patting him on the back.

"It's OK, The Maverick," Mari opines sweetly, also walking towards him. "Keep working at it and maybe next time you'll win!" Kel shoots Mari an intense side-eye that, thankfully, she doesn't notice. (Then he looks at you, sees the look you're giving him, realises you just saw that, gets embarrassed and mouths "sorry". You can only grin and shake your head at him... No problem, Kel, no problem. Hahaha.)

"If you believe in me, lady Mari - then I know I can do it!" Mikhael jumps up and uppercuts the air. "I will work to achieve my aim! I will beat Kel one day!"

"That's the spirit!" Mari beams. "I know you can achieve your dreams. Just keep working at it!"

Now once again animated as usual, Mikhael bends over in a melodramatic bow to Mari.

"I know I will find my way, with all of my supporters on my side, cheering me on. Thank you, my lady... thank you."

"You can do it, Master!" Angel rushes over and the two kids distract each other, dreaming of their own future brilliant escapades.

Kim sidles up to you, followed by Vance's brisk walk. "Well, uh," she scratches the corner of her mouth, all's well that ends well."

"I guess that's the best we can hope for." You smile at Kim - she looks away briefly, then back to you. "I'm glad we were able to help out with, um, whatever that was, heh!"

"Oh, uh, sure. Thanks. If he decides he wants to embarrass himself again, I'll try to let you know. Make sure Kel's ready to whoop his ass if he needs to.

"I don't know if we'll be able to make Kel play along again, but I'll bear it in mind. Thanks, Kim." You grin at her again.

Suddenly, it occurs to you that you had plans.

"Hey, wait - Mari, weren't we going back to yours for lunch?"

Mari's eyes widen and she shoots up straight. "Oh! Yes! Crap, we'd better be going... Hey, guys, group up!" She claps twice, like a teacher rounding up children on a field trip. "We've gotta get back to mine and Sunny's house!"

Your gaggle of teenagers group up around Mari - you're ready to leave. With varying levels of enthusiasm and/or awkwardness between all the members of the two different formations in the park today, you bid Kim and her gang a farewell. Basil kindly exchanges farewells with Charlene and gives a slightly nervous goodbye to the others, Kel says goodbye rather unenthusiastically, and Aubrey gives everyone their "see ya's" - but mostly Kim. You and Mari say a friendly goodbye, as the adults here. Sunny just waves, then promptly turns around and starts walking.

"Hey, you can all run ahead and get yourselves comfortable at home if you want," says Mari. "I wanna plan any potential baked goods with Hero, and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise~"

Oh. We're cooking? Well, you never know, you suppose. Impromptu cookies have happened before.

Once the kids have gone far enough in front, you ask Mari what she was thinking as far as cooking goes. "Oh, that was just my ruse," she says. "I want to talk to you about something else."

You raise your eyebrows in intrigue, although you are a touch nervous on the inside now. "Hm?"

"I can only assume you're already aware, but I'm pretty sure that Kim girl is crushing on you reeeeal bad..." Mari trails off, attempting to stifle laughter as your nervousness is replaced by awkwardness.

"Uh... yeah. I think she tried to hide it, but I, um... I could tell." Kim was about as subtle as a brick being thrown through a window - and you wouldn't be surprised if she actually has thrown a brick through a window before.

"Hehehe, I figurrrrred... I don't really have anything to say about it, but you know me, I couldn't let that pass without saying something~"

"Of course, of course... gotta get the gossip in."

"Yessss! Don't you know it." Mari nudges you in the side with her elbow as you both walk. "Anyway -" she claps her hands together again - "- enough of that. About those baked goods..."

Chapter Text

Hello!

I said next chapter would be from Mari's POV, and technically, that's true, but also not true. Because, surprise - I'm spinning that POV off into its very own fic! A companion fic equal in stature to this one, from Mari's mind instead of Hero's. Even before I came to write this chapter, I could feel myself thinking of other ideas for things to write from Mari's point of view. This new fic will deal a bit more in "adult" themes and more serious, angsty topics, hence the additional tags and Mature rating rather than Teen. It's certainly not extreme in either of those (it's not smut or horror, for example), and it won't go a great deal further than this fic (mostly just wording things straighter rather than more euphemistically) but I figure it's worth mentioning here, too, in case anyone would prefer not reading that. This first chapter is about 3000 words long, so I hope you enjoy it!

The first chapter of Hero, Your Beloved is written as a prequel to chapter 2 of this fic, set the day before. I've included my usual end-of chapter update at the end of the first chapter of this new fic, so go there to read that if you like those. I hope to see you there! :)

Link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52174477/chapters/131968693